Sagatapestry at 100

If you haven't already spotted then it is worth a mention that there have now been a hundred items posted on this website. A truly great effort from a number of contributors. Thanks to all who have written, read and supported Saga on WWPD. 

It's been over a year since I was drawn into the world of "Saga" through the WWPD forums.  Who would have thought that from an initial "interest" it would go so far....

After playing Flames of War for a while, the expense of that system is obvious. Saga is much more low key, both in cost and time to play. Games are typically 60 to 90 minutes compared to 'Flames' typical 2.5 to 3 hours setup and playing time.

The pull of the battleboard, the draw of the Shieldwall. Exactly why I seemed to be drawn into the World of Saga I am not sure. I guess it must be the unique format of the game combined with the setting. The lure of the Battle of Hastings is strong indeed. I would hazard a guess that many if not most players field Vikings followed by Normans or Anglo-Danes. Strong images of horse, axe and shields play in the mind then turn into reality on the battlefield.

Saga is a game that is not too expensive to get into. A main rule book, just one box of plastic figures plus some ordinary dice and a small playing area and you are ready to go. But beware: who said that games with smaller buy-in costs don't make good financial bets?

One thing is clear that I am now bought into Saga to the tune of the rules, three supplements, dice sets and six armies (the last two still on the way). There's also the number of articles published on the Sagatapestry.com website and it looks close to an obsession.

Although Saga is described as 'beer and pretzels' in its complexity there is a lot of flavour and tactics around the use of faction abilities and of course the Saga dice. It may be easy to learn but it takes a some good use of assets and timing to deliver a blow to the enemy in this game. A little luck always helps but that is the random factor that stops a game becoming too much of an exercise in mathematics.

There you have it, Saga is a fun game and worth the investment in my humble opinion. Going forward, I expect to see more supplements for the game covering more and more periods of history. That is the flexibility of the game and the thing that keeps interest going. All good things I think.

Thanks for sticking with the site, and good luck with your Warbands! To the Ale House then on to Battle....